Upright vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaners for cleaning carpets and other floor surfaces. The invention particularly relates to upright cleaners which have a cleaning head portion and an upstanding handle portion which typically carries a collection device for collecting detritus lifted by a vacuum induced airflow. The present invention provides an upright vacuum cleaner, the cleaning head portion being provided with wheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved over a floor surface, wherein the wheel means comprises first and second laterally spaced apart rear wheels and a castor wheel that is located at a position forward of the rear wheels and preferably aft of the roller brush. The castor wheel is preferably located in a domed recess in an underside of the cleaning head.

The present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaners forcleaning carpets and other floor surfaces.

The invention particularly relates to upright cleaners which have acleaning head portion and an upstanding handle portion which typicallycarries a collection device, such as a filter bag, for collectingdetritus lifted by a vacuum induced airflow. The handle portiontypically has a lower region pivotally connected to the cleaning headportion so as to permit push-pulling of the cleaning head portion over afloor surface by user-manipulation of a grip provided at an upper regionof the handle portion.

Such cleaners may be distinguished from wand and bin type cleaners inwhich a tubular wand is used to lift and convey detritus from a floorsurface. The wand is connected by a flexible tube to a wheeled bin ordrum portion which contains a collection bag or receptacle.

It is well known to provide upright cleaners with wheels or rollerswhich permit the cleaner to be moved over a floor surface duringcleaning. The typical arrangement uses two spaced apart rear wheels andtwo spaced apart front wheels, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,410. Oneproblem with this layout is that the cleaning width may be restricted bythe presence of the front wheels, as these limit the length of the brushroller when they are located at either end of the brush roller. Anotherproblem arises when the cleaning head is manoeuvred, as it is necessaryto slide the wheels when turning left or right, as the wheels are notsteerable. This can be awkward when the cleaner is bulky or the operatoris fatigued.

GB-A-1127570 (18 Sep. 1968) discloses a push-along sweeper with a rotarybrush driven by two centrally disposed wheels. The device has front andrear castor wheels which project from leading and trailing edgesrespectively of the sweeper housing edge.

JP-A-10179483 discloses an industrial cleaning trolley which is intendedto be pushed by a forklift truck. The trolley is equipped with tworotary cleaning brushes (having a vertical axis of rotation). Thetrolley has two spaced apart rear wheels and a front castor wheel whichprojects forward on a bracket. The device is provided with a soundgenerator to provide a warning signal or melody. US2004/0045121A1(published 11 Mar. 2004) discloses a vacuum cleaner of a type having atubular cleaning wand and a wheeled housing which may be trailed behindthe wand, and which is not therefore an upright cleaner. The housing isprovided with two rear wheels and a pair of castors located on a frontunderside region of the housing. The castors are each provided with aslip-prevention protrusion which renders the housing stable on stairs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide wheeled support foran upright vacuum cleaner which provides improved mobility in use.

According to the present invention there is provided an upright vacuumcleaner, typically comprising a vacuum motor, a cleaning head portionwhich includes a brush roller and an upright handle portion whichincludes a collector for vacuumed detritus, the cleaning head portionbeing provided with wheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved overa floor surface, wherein the wheel means comprises first and secondlaterally spaced apart rear wheels and a castor wheel. The castor wheelmay be located at a position forward of the rear wheels and, preferably,aft of the roller brush.

The castor allows the cleaning head to be turned left or right withoutneeding to slide front wheels or rollers. Rather, the castor follows themovement by swivelling and rolling. This reduces the effort for the userto turn the cleaner, which makes a small convenience difference whichmay nevertheless become significant over extended cleaning periods.

The location of the castor behind the roller brush means that the brushcan clean close to extraneous edges, such as skirting boards orfurniture, unhindered by the presence of wheels or rollers adjacent, infront or coaxial with the brush. This provides an improved edge cleaningeffect as compared to cleaners whose brushes cannot approach edges asclosely.

The vacuum motor is preferably located in the handle portion, but canalternatively be located in the cleaning head.

As is conventional for upright cleaners, the handle portion has a lowerregion pivotally connected to the cleaning head portion so as to permitpivoted rocking of the handle portion forward and backwards. This allowsthe user to push-pull the cleaning head portion over a floor surface bymanipulation of a grip provided at an upper region of the handleportion.

The brush roller is preferably electric motor-driven. In one embodimentthe brush roller has a transverse axis of rotation and is disposed abovean elongate transverse sweeping aperture formed in a front undersideregion of the work head.

The castor preferably depends from an underside of the cleaning head. Inone preferred embodiment the castor is accommodated in a domed recessprovided in an underside of the cleaning head. This allows a largeenough castor wheel diameter to be used to roll over floor features suchas room threshold bars and rug edges and the like, because the castorwheel upper region can be accommodated in the dome.

The castor is preferably located equidistant from each of the rearwheels. In other words the castor is at the apex of a notionalhorizontal isosceles triangle. In this way the weight of the cleaner canbe stably shared between the castor and the rear wheels.

The castor is generally centrally located between rear and front ends ofan underside of the cleaning head. This helps make the cleaner easy toturn.

In a preferred embodiment there is only one castor wheel. There aretypically only two rear wheels. Thus the entire weight of the cleaner issupported by these three wheels.

Following is a description by way of example only and with reference tothe drawings of one mode for putting the present invention into effect.

In the drawings:—

FIG. 1 is a perspective three quarter view of an upright vacuum cleaneraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an underside view of the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1 an upright cleaner is shown generally as 10. The cleaner has acleaning head portion 11 which sits on a floor surface. A front endregion of the cleaning head is formed with a hemi-cylindrical housing 12for a horizontal brush roller 13 (visible in FIG. 2). A rear end regionof the cleaning head is provided with two wheels 14 (one visible in FIG.1). These wheels each have a horizontal axis of rotation about anassociated axle (not visible) and each wheel is thus capable of rotatingindependently.

An upright handle portion 15 of the vacuum cleaner is mounted to anupper rear region of the cleaning head by a latchable pivot, as is knownin the art. This allows the handle portion to be locked vertical forstorage, but released to incline for cleaning use.

The handle portion includes a lower vacuum motor housing section 16 andan upper vacuum bag collector housing 17. The top of the housing isformed with a grip 18 as shown in FIG. 1. A secondary handle 19 may alsobe provided for a cleaning wand (not visible) attached to a flexiblevacuum tube 20.

In FIG. 2 an underside 22 of the cleaning head is shown. There are tworear wheels 14 and a generally central, recessed dome 23 formed in theunderside forward of the rear wheels, and behind an elongate transverseaperture 24 for the brush roller 13. A castor vertical stub axle (notvisible) is push-fitted into a corresponding vertical bore at the apexof the dome. A castor wheel 25 is therefore free to swing 360 degreesaround the dome.

In use, the castor wheel makes the cleaner easily steerable andmanoeuvrable. The cleaning head may turn left and right without havingto slide front wheels or rollers. The castor does not obscure the rolleraperture 24, so roller cleaning is possible right up to the front andside edges of the roller housing 12.

Thus, the present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaners forcleaning carpets and other floor surfaces. The invention particularlyrelates to upright cleaners which have a cleaning head portion and anupstanding handle portion which typically carries a collection devicefor collecting detritus lifted by a vacuum induced airflow. The presentinvention provides an upright vacuum cleaner, the cleaning head portionbeing provided with wheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved overa floor surface, wherein the wheel means comprises first and secondlaterally spaced apart rear wheels and a castor wheel that is located ata position forward of the rear wheels and preferably aft of the rollerbrush. The castor wheel is preferably located in a domed recess in anunderside of the cleaning head.

1. An upright vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaning head portion whichincludes a brush roller and an upright handle portion which includes acollector for vacuumed detritus, the cleaning head portion beingprovided with wheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved over afloor surface, wherein the wheel means comprises first and secondlaterally spaced apart rear wheels and a castor wheel that is located ata position forward of the rear wheels and aft of the brush roller.
 2. Anupright cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein the handle portion has alower region pivotally connected to the cleaning head portion so as topermit directed pushing of the cleaning head portion over a floorsurface by user-manipulation of a grip provided at an upper region ofthe handle portion.
 3. An upright cleaner as claimed in claim 1 whereinthe brush roller has a transverse axis of rotation and is disposed abovean elongate transverse sweeping aperture formed in a front undersideregion of the work head.
 4. An upright vacuum cleaner as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the castor wheel depends from an underside of thecleaning head.
 5. An upright cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein thecastor wheel is accommodated in a domed recess provided in an undersideof the cleaning head.
 6. An upright cleaner as claimed in claim 1wherein the castor wheel is located equidistant from each of the rearwheels.
 7. An upright cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein the castoris generally centrally located between rear and front ends of anunderside of the cleaning head.
 8. An upright vacuum cleaner as claimedin claim 1 wherein the castor wheel depends from an underside of thecleaning head and is accommodated in a domed recess therein.
 9. Anupright vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaning head portion which includesa brush roller and an upright handle portion which includes a collectorfor vacuumed detritus, the cleaning head portion being provided withwheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved over a floor surface,wherein the wheel means comprises first and second laterally spacedapart rear wheels and a castor wheel that is located at a positionforward of the rear wheels and aft of the brush roller, wherein thehandle portion has a lower region pivotally connected to the cleaninghead portion so as to permit directed pushing of the cleaning headportion over a floor surface by user-manipulation of a grip provided atan upper region of the handle portion, and wherein the brush roller hasa transverse axis of rotation and is disposed above an elongatetransverse sweeping aperture formed in a front underside region of thework head.
 10. An upright vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 9 whereinthe castor wheel depends from an underside of the cleaning head.
 11. Anupright cleaner as claimed in claim 9 wherein the castor wheel isaccommodated in a domed recess provided in an underside of the cleaninghead.
 12. An upright cleaner as claimed in claim 9 wherein the castorwheel is located equidistant from each of the rear wheels.
 13. Anupright cleaner as claimed in claim 9 wherein the castor is generallycentrally located between rear and front ends of an underside of thecleaning head.
 14. An upright vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 9wherein the castor wheel depends from an underside of the cleaning headand is accommodated in a domed recess therein.